Rito
Special | Flying | |
Games | ||
Location | ||
The Rito are a recurring race in The Legend of Zelda series. Although significant differences exist between their presentation in these games, they are a proud, bird-like race.
The Wind Waker
The Rito live on the volcanic island Dragon Roost Island in the northeastern part of the Great Sea. The Rito are a proud bird-man tribe and they use their island as a Post Office for everyone who lives on the Great Sea.
Before Hyrule was flooded by the three Golden Goddesses, the Rito were still Zora. The Zora lived in Zora's Domain in Hyrule and they had a society of their own. When Hyrule was flooded, the Zora eventually evolved into Rito and settled on Dragon Roost Island. Due to this, they lost the ability to swim but gained the ability to fly.
Actually, a Rito does not have any wings at birth, but when they grow old enough, they must climb up the mountain to visit the Rito tribe's Sky Spirit, Valoo. Valoo is a huge, red, worshipped dragon who is sitting in the crater of the volcano and he protects the Rito on the island. When a Rito reaches adulthood, he or she can visit Valoo on the top of the mountain to be given a scale that allows them to grow their wings.
The Rito did not always have wings. Proof for this is that they have Grappling Hooks, and there are areas where they can be easily used spread out on the island. So, because of this fact, there must have been a stage between the flooding of Hyrule and when they got their wings when they used Grappling Hooks instead of flying.
The leader of the Rito is the Rito Chieftain (in The Wind Waker that is Komali's father). There is also an attendant amongst Rito who is responsible for taking care of Valoo and making sure he is always feeling good (in The Wind Waker that is Medli).
The Rito are the keepers of Din's Pearl. Din's Pearl was kept by Komali's grandmother (the Chieftain's mother), but when she passed away, she gave the pearl to Prince Komali. After the loss, Prince Komali was very sad and refused to let go of the pearl. When Link arrived at Dragon Roost later on, he managed to earn Komali's respect by calming Valoo down. That was when Komali gave Din's Pearl to Link.
It is very common amongst the Rito to have names that end with -li: Prince Komali, Medli, Koboli, Kogoli, Namali and Pashli (even the two human brothers Willi and Obli who dress up as Rito have names that end with -li).
The Rito are often seen to be quite noble in their efforts. This is clearly shown on almost all occasions when Link runs into Quill, the postman from the start of the game. He is very knowledgeable and one could assume wise. Even when the perils of their people have been dealt with, the Rito shows great belief in their role as joint protectors of their world. Quill makes the pirates take Link with them at the start. He then gives Link the advice to go spy on the pirates on Windfall Island. Later on in the game, it is Medli who takes on the role of the sage of the Earth Temple. Medli gave Link the Grappling Hook and also convinced Prince Komali to give Din's Pearl to Link.
Breath of the Wild
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Link encounters the Rito Village in Breath of the Wild when going to free Divine Beast Vah Medoh. The Rito are the tribe that live in the village. Link needs to speak to Kaneli, the elder of the Rito, who tells him about the Hylian Champion 100 years ago, and about Revali, the Rito Champion. Kaneli explains that Link needs to find Teba, and that his wife Saki can help him find him. Saki tells Link that Teba can be found at the Flight Range.
The Rito are tall and graceful, and resemble several species of birds like hawks, eagles, and parrots, though their children mostly resemble goslings. The Rito as a race was modeled after Revali, as he was developed and designed first. The Rito have gained the ability to fly completely, and do not use grappling hooks anymore. They are also born with wings, as opposed to gaining them from Valoo. [1]
Rito Armor and Weapons
The Rito mostly specialize in aerial combat, so the clothes sold to Hylians mostly serve for Cold Resistance. Since the Rito style of combat relies on mid-air agility, they do not produce heavy weaponry like two-handed weapons. They have a variety of bows available, which are all wooden-made, and centered on fast drawing and accuracy.
Their weapons and armor include:
| Weapon | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feathered Edge |  |
A light Rito sword. |
| Feathered Spear |  |
A light spear meant for aerial combat. |
| Swallow Bow |  |
A fast-drawing light bow. |
| Falcon Bow |  |
A fast-drawing long-ranged bow. |
| Great Eagle Bow |  |
The favored weapon of the Rito Champion Revali. |
| Kite Shield |  |
A light wooden shield. Considered the rarest shield in the game. |
| Snowquill Set |  |
Clothes meant for Cold Resistance. Can be made Unfreezable. |
Members
- Medli
- Prince Komali
- Quill
- Rito Chieftain
- Basht and Bisht
- Kogoli
- Koboli
- Hoskit
- Namali
- Ilari
- Skett and Akoot
- Pashli
- Prince Komali's Grandmother
- Kaneli
- Teba
- Revali
- Saki
- Tulin
- Harth
- Fyson
References
- ↑ "The core design for the Rito hadn't been set before production started, so finalizing Revali defined how the rest of the Rito would look. I experimented with a number of different bird motifs, like swallows and woodpeckers, but settled on birds of prey. Creating a design that communicated a character that sees Link as a rival - but could not be honest with himself about it - took a lot of trial and error." — page 89, Creating a Champion